Posture - yoga - tango

Posture - yoga - tango

In Debbie Spencer's yoga class we were focussing on posture and how in different positions we could really improve our posture and root ourselves to the ground. Of course in tango it is just our feet that are in contact with the ground but our posture is critical. Our feet are on the ground all the time and we can use the foot that is moving to control the speed of the walk. Some teachers favouring curling the toes when moving backwards, clawing the ground for control. In the old days the sole of the shoe would never become visible. If it did, you would be asked to leave the milonga! How would we cope today with both men and women flicking their legs, some at every opportunity!

In yoga laying down on the floor is surprisingly informative. We can feel that all our vertebrae are in contact with the floor. Tilting of the pelvis will "melt" the back to the floor or leave a natural gap between lower back and the floor. If we turn palms uppermost, using all of the arm, then we will feel the shoulders engage more with the floor. This opens the chest and the heart chakra. All of this will make a contribution to the close embrace. The heart chakra is where we exchange emotions with another person and so a true connection can be achieved. We have to realise how the body feels, what muscles are working so that we can move from the horizontal to the vertical. In yoga terms we would then be in mountain pose. I would practice this at home rather than on the dance floor!

Now we can lean towards our partner, our weight moving to the balls of our feet, our bodies remaining straight. Our heart chakras engage. We raise our arms to the tango position. I then engage the muscles in my back so I can feel that I have created a frame  extending from one hand around my back to the other hand.

We dance.